


Progression

by decidueye



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Birthday, Developing Relationship, M/M, Other, Possibly the fluffiest thing I've ever written, happy endings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-05
Updated: 2017-12-05
Packaged: 2019-02-11 01:27:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 940
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12924378
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/decidueye/pseuds/decidueye
Summary: Keiji learns what birthdays can mean.





	Progression

**Author's Note:**

> a little something i cooked up, admittedly last minute, for keiji's birthday. this has been done a thousand times but bokuaka deserve every one of them. thanks to kep for the beta as always.

Birthdays in the Akaashi household are a quiet affair. Keiji’s parents gift him a new stationery set when he turns eleven - with a protractor, just like he’d asked for - and he’s allowed to choose what they have for dinner, much to his siblings’ chagrin. The teacher (his favourite; Keiji once asked if he could grow his hair like hers, but his father refused) puts a candle in his onigiri at lunchtime, and when he blows it out he doesn’t bother to make a wish. He has no need for that kind of sentiment; his parents have told him that hard work is the only way to get what you want. 

*

In Keiji’s first year of high school the volleyball team doesn’t find out about his birthday until the day, when their coach wishes him a happy birthday on his way in. Fukurodani’s captain is scandalised, and chews him out in front of the whole team, which of course gets the attention of one Bokuto Koutarou. Bokuto makes it his personal mission to celebrate Keiji’s birthday with twice as much enthusiasm to make up for the lack of preparation and chases him around the court, begging to take him out after school. His present is an hour of extra practice with Bokuto, and the foil wrapped stick of gum Bokuto finds in his pocket. It’s ridiculous, and more than Keiji has ever done on his birthday, but it makes him smile, so Bokuto declares it a success.

*

Fukurodani’s volleyball team never lets Keiji’s birthday go uncelebrated after that - it’s circled on a calendar in the changing room, just like everybody else’s. Their second year is Bokuto’s last, and the last year for most of his friends on the team, and Sarukui laments that they didn’t know the previous year, because now they only have one chance to show off their skills.

Keiji tells him that he doesn’t want to know what their skills are, thank you very much. Team birthdays are usually elaborate affairs and he doesn’t care for the noise or the fuss.

His request goes mostly unheeded; his teammates greet him on the fifth of December with a mountain of presents and two tickets to an owl cafe.

“It’s got to be quiet for the owls,” Komi explains. “Even he’ll have to shut up.”

Keiji isn’t sure how Komi knows that he was intending to invite Bokuto, and excuses himself promptly to hide the flush that colours his cheeks at his teammates’ consideration.

*

The third birthday of Keiji’s highschool years is treated with just as much consideration and grandeur, but for some reason it doesn’t resonate as highly with Keiji. At least, not until Bokuto and Kuroo show up at the gym in the evening, dragging him out to their favourite karaoke bar and telling him they know he loves it really, he’ll just have to deal with the noise.

*

University is busy, and Keiji is too busy preparing for finals to even notice their birthdays passing during their time in higher education. They aren’t lonely, though, and their classmates provide them with belated gifts and congratulations, each finding their way to them once their exams are finally over. Keiji accepts them with gratitude and tired smiles that they promise are from all-nighters, not offense, and doesn’t dwell on the fact that they’d kind of come to see their birthday as something special before all of this.

*

Keiji is late to work when they bump into Bokuto on the subway. He’s the same as ever, except somehow even larger, but Keiji has changed so much that they think Bokuto wouldn’t have recognised them if they hadn’t fallen, face first, into his (impossibly solid) chest.

“Akaashi?” He still says it wrong; it’s still adorable. “Is that you?  _ Wow! _ ”

Keiji has to hurry off the train as soon as it reaches their stop, and Bokuto clumsily presses a business card into their hand, begging to catch up.

“Happy birthday!” he shouts as they’re pushed off the train, and Keiji bites their lip, surprised he remembered.

_ Bokuto Koutarou - Personal Trainer _ .

Years working in an office has lost them most of their athleticism. Perhaps they can gift themself a few appointments.

*

Birthdays in the Akaashi-Bokuto household are a chaotic, grandiose affair. Keiji always has things planned out to the letter, but Koutarou needs to have his own input, which of course means a surprise, so Keiji finds themself trying to accommodate something they can’t anticipate. Koutarou has never been good with secrets, but birthday surprises are so important to him that he can manage, and that’s how Keiji finds themself on Tokyo’s tallest Ferris Wheel at ten in the morning.

“Koutarou,” they say, squeezing his hand in their lap. Koutarou turns to them, beaming, and it almost hurts to continue. “You know I’m scared of heights.”

Koutarou’s jaw goes slack, and he lets go of their hand abruptly, fumbling. 

“Oh my god, I forgot,  _ shit _ , this is the worst present ever, I’m so sorry, I thought this was gonna be so romantic…”

“It’s okay,” Keiji says, stopping him short. Their birthday is not going to be ruined by Koutarou feeling guilty. “The view is nice. Besides, you’re here, so I feel safe.”

Koutarou colours, sliding over to hug Keiji with such enthusiasm that the carriage rocks, and Keiji doesn’t feel as safe anymore. That is, until Koutarou kisses them, and all thoughts of plummeting to their death are quashed by rough lips and warm fingers cupping their face.

“That’s good,” Koutarou says. “That means it wouldn’t be totally stupid if I proposed now, right?”

“ _ What _ ?”

“Happy birthday, Akaashi Keiji. Will you marry me?”

**Author's Note:**

> find me on [twitter](http://twitter.com/deciduice) or [tumblr](http://deciduice.tumblr.com) if you too want to see bokuaka have a million happy endings.


End file.
